Stop puppy mills forever. They only breed misery and make money for people who don't care about the breeds. These are God's creatures and deserve a better life than they get in a puppy mill. It's time to shut these places down and put the puppy millers behind the bars they so enjoy keeping the dogs behind.
I am suprised that People Magazine would publish an article that promotes puppymillers. We have one of the puppymill dogs in rescue right now and have had since April of this year. He is ready for adoption, NO, not yet. He was seized in a puppymill bust here in KY. He came to the shelter half starved, laying in his own feces, left in crate his whole life except to breed, he had no hair from demodex, and developed bacterial infections (large open sores) all over due to the demodex being untreated. Was he still breeding stock in this condition, YES, they were still breeding him. Is this what you are promoting in your articles? Granted not all puppymillers treat their animals this badly, but if you do your research on puppymillers and back yard breeders you will find this same senario. We would love to see you do an article on rescue dogs and an honest article against the promotion of puppymillers. Check the shelter statistics in your own town or pay a visit. Think you will be amazed.
Your having showcased this young man as a positive example detracts seriously from the credibility of the magazine. Shameful that no one on your editorial staff had the common sense to see that this is a disgraceful, unethical practice that undermines the hard work that reputable breeders do to protect the welfare of their charges.
As a life long responsible dog owner and animal lover and deeply involved in rescue. I find this appauling and sick. All they see these dogs as is a money making scheme. There are millions of animals put down each day in shelters because of people like this and the people in rescue are trying to pick up the pieces and help shelter animals. It only makes our job more unbearable because of the death we have to endure at shelters. It's heartbreaking visiting shelters and telling them to hold a dog for foster care only to find out it has been put down because they have run out of room in the shelter and the next days dumped animals are coming in. People are regressing instead of progressing with the dogs/cats in this country. It has to stop and selling animals over the Internet is disgusting, they don't care who gets the animal or what happens to it as long as they make money off it. And to let this person advertise in a magazine is encouraging to other sicko's to do the same. All they see is dollar signs. I will never buy this magazine again and will tell all my rescue friends too not to buy it.
Disgusting. I am going to ask everyone I know to not even look at People magazine on the shelves. This is no issue to be in any magazine--no one should be "making money" off anyone or any creature's plight. Volunteer for a humane organization and help animals that way. People Magazine ought to be ashamed.
Please make sure you investigate all the ramifications of an article when looking for a "warm fuzzy" article. There are plenty of pet related stories that do not sell animals in bulk.. its an online puppymill... have you been to a puppy mill? Have you gotten a dog from a mill??
As a rescue volunteer, I find this article to be in extremely bad taste. This young "entrepreneur" should be made to go to a shelter on euthanization day to see how some of his "profits" end up. Sad portrayal. Shame on you People Magazine!
He is young, so I don't fully blame him - in his mind he is doing something good, but someone should have talked to him. People magazine??? What is wrong with you?
This is very sad! I will NOT be buying your magazine. There are enough animals that are in shelters and recuse units to read about this horrible way to make money!
Being the animal lover that I am it brakes my heart to see any one use them in puppy-mills. All the good these friends do. Save lives. Cheer up people in nursing homes. I don't have room to tell all the good they do. Anyone that will do something this low will do other criminal acts an should be in jail. They are rotten to the core.
It is appalling that People Magazine would hold up the operator of a puppy mill as an example! At least publish an article showing what puppy mills are really about.
Please do some research to find out where this boy gets his puppies from. Tells us about the lives of those dogs whose "job" it is to provide "product" for this "entrepenuer".
I am horrified that People Magazine would feature such an "entrepreneur"...and amazed at the ignorance of people in reference to reputable breeders vs. puppymills.
as a rescuer of golden retrievers for almost 7 years i find this article totally ignorant ....People magazine should not promote this young irresponsible child as a TEEN TITAN...what kind of example are you setting for the proper care of animals...we have enough problems with animal not having a voice and being abused and left in shelters to do without your magazine promoting yet another way to bring animals into this world. YOu should be ashamed of yourself...
Those that seek financial rewards at the expense of the suffering of animals, such as in puppy mills should endure the same fate. These people should not be made entrepreneurs of the year and in People Magazine, but should be behind bars serving their sentence for cruelty to animals.
Shame on you. Thats all I can say. You are promoting suffering. All I can see is this young child has been taught to make money off of the suffering of animals. His parents really taught him well. Make money at no matter the cost to anything or anyone. Its just sick that your company would support this action and broadcast it all over the world.
With all the dogs dying in kill shelters every day, irresponsible breeding like this should not be promoted and it would be responsible for "People" to do an article on the other side of the issue about the negative aspects of puppy mills and about rescue dogs.
I think puppymills are horrible.I work for a vet and have seen a lot of sick animals come into our office that were purchased at puppymills. They should be abolished!
When we should be teaching children to be kind and caring this article teachs children to disregard life and suffering. What sort of a future will we have if we teach this?
A true breeder of dogs would not sell their dogs to this type of arrangement. A true breeder makes a life time commitment to their dogs and guarantees them, takes them back when things go wrong and carefully interviews prospects for homes. These dogs should be placed based on their personalities and their new owners experience and personalities. Promoting this teenager as an "Teen Titan" endorses the wholesaling of puppies. You would be better off to promote a teen that donates their time to dog rescue or donates their time to shelters.
Puppy mills are the worst form of abbuse of animals. People do not care as long as they make a profit. The problem is our shelters are over ran with dogs that need a home and thousands of dogs are put down every day due to this.
I have a dog who is a cast-off of people who breed without thinking! It is sad when we consider money above life! There are enough dogs and cats in shelters, we don't need people thinking they are disposable, we need people being responsible and adopting them!
There are thousands of people in this country who are trying to help animals. You should consider profiling some of them rather than "honoring" someone is doing nothing but torturing animals by perpetuating puppy mills.
Please review all sides to a story before printing it. This is the wrong message to sent to put young readers about making money. This entrepreneur has no concern for these puppies and their outcome.
Gotta love when selfish/ignorant people get free advertising! Hybrid puppies = MUTTS!! Nothing's wrong with mutts, just charging $900.00 & breeding on purpose is wrong! I'll see more and more of these at my shelter, it's rediculous!
With the growing number of unwanted pets in the US, with many of them coming from puppy mills that end up going into foster care, there needs to be an article in People Magazine stressing the importance of NOT buying puppies over the internet and especially from puppymills.
Educating the public on the horrors of puppymills and over population of helpless animals through breeding is what needs to be done. Right the wrong by running an article on adopting from a shelter, not patronizing breeders, and bring to light the wrongs of puppymills.
I am a volunteer for bichon rescue and I am currently fostering two bichons. Please do a follow-up article on the horrors of puppy mills and breeding dogs only for the money.
Bailey
Please do a realistic article on puppy mills. They are awful and should not be promoted. I am a breeder of dogs and I can tell you that puppy mills are not breeders.
At a time when responsible pet owners are just getting through to the general public on the extent of the unwanted pet issue, we CAN NOT AFFORD to see Puppy Mills pop up all over the internet. It will set the efforts of many many TRUE pet owners back to the middle ages in terms of progress. PLease help with the problem, not make it worse!
I work every day of my life in animal welfare. I work to SAVE dogs. This kid and his mother are part of a system of greed and ignorance. This kid is no entrepreneur. Anyone can sell adorable puppies. I would like to see him tackle the pet overpopulation problem. THAT would be impressive. Please do a responsible article about the realities of puppy mills, and how irresponsible pet shops and pet owners are a part of the horror for these animals. How many dead dogs do we need before people get it?
People irresponsible like this should be punished! Those who dismiss the statistics on abandoned animals obviously haven't had to watch a perfectly healthy, vital, purring creature be put down for no good reason. People need to be educated as to their other options, before they drop by the nearest mill! Shame on People Magazine!
This is totally disgusting! There is more than enough of this kind of thing happening without People Magazine endorsing and encouraging it. I won't buy another People magazine - ever!
I am strongly opposed to "puppy mill activity" of any kind and believe a quality publication such as People will not endorse in any way the use of Puppy Mills to sell animals.
